Australian quantum communications company Space CoLAB has announced that components of its HaloCore quantum secure communications system will be flown aboard Orbit2Orbit’s Pathfinder stratospheric balloon mission, marking an important milestone in the development of sovereign Australian quantum communications capability.
Scheduled to launch from Winton, Queensland, in November 2026, the flight will carry an early-stage quantum diamond payload to an altitude of around 20 kilometres, exposing the technology to the extreme temperature, pressure and vibration conditions encountered in the stratosphere.
Rather than demonstrating operational performance, the mission is designed to validate the resilience of HaloCore’s core photonic components in a near-space environment before progressing to more complex orbital testing.
Space CoLAB founder and chief executive officer Carley Scott OAM said the flight represents a critical step in the company’s technology maturation program.
“This is a real-world environmental exposure test that drives our quantum communications solution forward. We are flying an early-stage component to find out how they respond to near space conditions.
“That is an important early test in developing a space capable system and it is much faster and more efficient to learn using high-altitude balloon services first.”
HaloCore is being developed as a free-space optical communications system designed to deliver quantum-secure communications for defence, space and critical infrastructure applications, protecting sensitive information against increasingly sophisticated cyber and quantum-enabled threats.
The payload is currently being integrated by Space CoLAB’s engineering team ahead of a formal design review later this year.
Scott said gathering real-world environmental data early in the development cycle would significantly accelerate the evolution of the technology.
“Getting hardware into a real environment early changes how fast you can implement a real-world solution. Every assumption we hold about resilient systems, thermal behaviour and handling needs to be tested. This flight provides real world data that we take back to the design bench to continue evolving what is positioned to be a world-leading, Australian technology.”
The mission forms part of Orbit2Orbit’s Lab2Space program, which is designed to help emerging Australian space companies validate new technologies and reduce development risk before committing to orbital missions.
Orbit2Orbit founder and CEO Bradley Hatton-Jones said providing access to real-world testing environments is essential to accelerating Australia’s space industry.
“Supporting companies through the critical TRL journey is exactly what Orbit2Orbit’s Lab2Space program was created to do. By providing access to testing, validation and real-world demonstration opportunities, we help emerging space companies prove their technology and build investor confidence. Space CoLAB is exactly the kind of innovative start-up that can accelerate its product development through the Lab2Space program.”
He said high-altitude balloon flights provided a cost-effective pathway for companies to mature space technologies before launch.
“One of the biggest challenges for emerging space technologies is getting meaningful flight data early enough to improve the design before the cost and complexity of an orbital mission.
“Stratospheric testing gives companies like Space CoLAB the opportunity to validate hardware in a relevant near-space environment, reduce technical risk, and accelerate the path toward an operational Australian capability.”
The flight represents another step in Australia’s growing sovereign space technology ecosystem, with Space CoLAB’s staged development program combining Australian manufacturing expertise with allied supply chains to develop a sovereign quantum communications capability.
As Australia expands its investment in secure space-based communications under the National Defence Strategy, technologies such as HaloCore are expected to play an increasingly important role in protecting future defence and critical infrastructure networks.
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